


Red Hat

by ReesieReads



Series: Ducktales - Separated AU [2]
Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Autistic Fethry Duck, Autistic Huey Duck, Babies, Brief Bentina Beakley, Brief Donald Duck, Broken Families, Childhood, Everyone Needs A Hug, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of Della Duck, Mention of Scrooge McDuck, Parenthood, Trans Female Character, Trans Female Huey Duck, Trans Louie Duck, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReesieReads/pseuds/ReesieReads
Summary: Della disappears with the Spear of Selene, and in her wake leaves a request for each of her children to be left to her cousins and brother.This is the story of Fethry raising Huey and all the challenges that came with it.(Tags will likely change over time)
Relationships: Fethry Duck & Huey Duck, Gladstone Gander & Fethry Duck, Huey Duck & Louie Duck, Lulubella Loon/Eider Duck
Series: Ducktales - Separated AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024051
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	1. The Three AM Phone call!

_ “Fethry!” _

The man jumped as his brother (Abner) slammed the house phone down on the kitchen table. He had been trying to study for his upcoming midterm for the past hour, but his brother had insisted on cooking a large meal as he did so, much to Fethry’s annoyance.

Glancing at the phone he looked back up to Abner in confusion, “what?”

His brother’s dark gaze glared down at him, “It's for you.”

For him? Knitting his eyebrows together, Fethry cautiously lifted the phone to his ear. Phone calls were rare for any member of their little group (hence why none of them had cell phones), but they were even rarer for Fethry. The only person who ever ‘called’ him anymore was Gladstone, and that was always through the tin can like Fethry requested (the phone always hurt his ears).

“Ello?” He asked, ignoring Abner’s growl of displeasure.

“Fethry?”

Jumping, Fethry had to push down a squeak of surprise. While it was rare for Fethry to get phone calls, it was even  _ rarer  _ for him to get a call from his cousin  _ Donald.  _ Sure, Della called from time to time, and even invited him over to the manor once in a while, but Donald had always kept his distance after Grandma Duck had died. He had never known why, but Della told him not to worry about it.

“Oh hey!” Fethry exclaimed, “what’s up? How’re Della and the kids? They must be big already huh? A whole month old and-“

_ “Fethry,”  _ Donald cut in, voice suddenly taking a sharp edge, “can you come meet me at the manor? It’s  _ extremely  _ important.”

Frowning, he agreed, slowly putting the phone down after Donald hung up. Something was off, he could just tell, and a pit formed in his stomach at the idea of his cousins in trouble. Della had to be a bit fragile after giving birth still, and Fethry was anxious at the thought of something happening to her, or worse the  _ babies. _

“Hey Abner!” Fethry called, wincing when his brother came out of the kitchen with a scowl, “do you-uh-mind taking me to McDuck Manor? Donald needs my help.”

“It’s three in the morning, Fethry,” Abner growled, “can’t it wait?”

“He said it was  _ extremely  _ important.”

“Ugh,  _ fine,  _ but you owe me.”

“Okay…”

-

When they arrive it’s almost light out.

Fethry doesn’t mean to be late, as he frantically explains to a clearly exhausted Mrs. Beakley as she leads him to the twins room, it was just that the drive was longer then he had anticipated! Abner had stayed in the truck, parked outside of the gates (Fethry hoped anyway, but knowing his brother there was a big chance he had simply driven off).

Something tugs in the back of his mind, yelling loud and clear that something was  _ off.  _ The manor was too dark, too quiet _.  _ Fethry spent the entire walk just waiting for Della to burst out and prank him, yelling ‘surprise!’ In that loud and excited way she always did.

The prank never came.

Instead, Fethry finds himself standing outside a door he’s seen so many times he wonders if it was burned into his retinas. Just like his own door, which had a red shrimp (Scrooge hadn’t listened when he tried to say he liked  _ krill  _ not  _ shrimp,  _ it wasn’t surprising the old man didn’t listen) Donald and Della’s room held their own carving. It was a large blue anchor (to represent Donald of course) with a big white airplane over top of it (Della obviously). Though, unlike Gladstone or himself, Fethry was pretty sure the twins picked their plaque out by themselves.

With the dread swirling deep in his stomach now though, the door brought none of the comfort it usually did. There were no loud laughs or angry, unintelligible curses, only silence and shadows. He found himself wishing that Beakley hadn’t left, that instead of trudging slowly away to do some other chore, she had stayed to help him face what he knows must be awful.

Some part of him, a horrible, nasty  _ need  _ calls for him to leave. Something felt  _ off,  _ and Fethry really didn’t think he was in a state to handle bad news. College was bad enough, living with his Father and Brother was bad enough, but someone in his family being  _ hurt  _ or worse  _ dead?  _ Fethry couldn’t take it.

It takes a good twenty minutes before he finally gathers the courage to knock. His knuckles rap against the aged wood quickly, before he goes back to twisting the red beanie he always wore in his hands. He wonders if it’s inappropriate to be fidgeting so much, but he really can’t help himself, not when it’s the only thing keeping him grounded.

When the door finally opens, Fethry feels like all his fears are being confirmed. His cousin looks  _ awful,  _ face gaunt with dark circles beneath his eyes. He doesn’t miss the tear tracks going down Donald’s cheeks either, and he wonders with a stab of guilt if  _ that’s  _ what he’d been doing while Fethry stared at the door.

“Don?”

The red-head doesn’t reply, just ushers him in and shuts the door quietly behind him. If Fethry had been nervous before, he was  _ terrified  _ now. In fact, he would be surprised if he didn’t have some sort of breakdown by the end of tonight. Because, not only was Della not around, but only  _ two  _ of the kids were in the room with Donald, both laying on the bed side-by-side.

_ ‘They’re fine,’  _ Fethry thought to himself, frantically searching for a better answer then the truth,  _ ‘Della probably just took greenie out, maybe Don needs me to babysit?’ _

“Sit down Fethry,” Donald says, gesturing to the seat under the window. He obliges, ignoring the voice screaming in the back of his mind that he needs to  _ leave.  _ Despite the fear coursing through him though, Fethry didn’t think he could leave even if he wanted to. Donald looked so  _ tired,  _ so  _ miserable,  _ and he had never been the kind to leave someone when they were hurting.

“It’s Della isn’t it?” Fethry finds himself asking, voice shaking.

His cousin laughs, but it sounds hollow, “you're too smart for your own good sometimes Feth.”

He swallows, mouth suddenly dry. He isn’t crying, at least not yet, but Fethry can feel the familiar sting behind his eyes. Unlike all of the times he’s cried out of frustration though, sobbing over his stupid schoolwork as his brain turns to white noise, Fethry just feels  _ empty.  _ His chest aches, and his brain seems to be looking for something to latch onto, something to help distract him.

So Fethry focuses on Donald.

-

They talk for a long time, for hours really.

Donald tells him that Greenie was with Gladstone, that Fethry had missed them by only an hour or so. He talks about what Della did, his fight with Scrooge, his plans to leave and live on an old houseboat he had seen for sale, Della’s final request…

Fethry listens to all of it, offering small reassurances or advice when he thinks he should. It’s weird, to comfort someone, but he really can’t think of what else to do in this situation. One of his cousins is  _ dead,  _ his other is mourning, and he was just told a kid was about to be thrust into his arms despite the fact that he couldn’t even drink yet. Being a rock for Donald felt like the only thing keeping him together, because he had to be there for Donald, he couldn’t break down until he knew Donald was okay.

“I know you're mad at Uncle Scrooge,” Fethry said softly, pointedly ignoring the heated glare his cousin throws him, “but are you really sure it’s his fault?”

Donald immediately nodded, face starting to turn red with the famous McDuck temper, “of  _ course  _ it is! If he hadn’t built the damn thing then Della would still be here! Not  _ dead!” _

Fethry wants to point out that it was  _ Della  _ who decided to get on the ship, that it was  _ Della  _ who didn’t tell anyone she was going, but he knows it won’t change anything. Donald is stricken with grief, and far past the point of thinking rationally. He’s looking for someone to blame, just like he did when his parents died, someone to be angry at.

So Fethry doesn’t argue, letting Donald stew in his now silent anger. He finds himself looking at the babies instead, the two left at least. The one in red (Huey, Donald had said) was apparently going to be coming home with him, would be living with him and depending on him. Fethry knew he wasn’t ready, but he also knew it hardly mattered. Della was gone, and in her wake she had left three children, who she specifically requested be taken care of by her brother and cousins. 

He wondered if Gladstone and Donald felt as unprepared as he did.

“I should probably go,” Fethry whispered, watching as morning light filtered in through the curtains, “Abner’s going to kill me if he’s even still there, and I have a midterm to study for. Plus, don’t you need to get out of here before Scrooge wakes up?”

Donald nods numbly, pushing himself up on his feet, “you’re right. If you need some baby stuff I can go grab Huey’s things.”

Fethry sighs, “that would probably be best, I’ll call Abner up to grab it all though. You just focus on you and Bluey.”

-

Abner is all kinds of furious.

His face is red, and spit flies from his mouth as he curses. Thankfully, he isn’t yelling, but Fethry thinks that has more to do with the sleeping baby in his arms then him. He isn’t afraid though, not really. Abner may be a bit of a jerk, but he was never violent

“What were you  _ thinking?”  _ His brother seethes as he picks up a small, red bassinet, “your not even out of  _ college  _ Fethry! You can’t take care of-“

“I was thinking that my cousin is  _ dead,  _ Abner,” Fethry growls, finally letting out some of the rage and hurt he had been feeling since Donald told him the truth, “and that her  _ last  _ request was for me to take one of her children.”

His brother has the good sense to not argue, silently fuming as he moves all of little Huey’s things into the back of Gus’ old truck. The triplets had shared a nursery before now, each of them having a wall splattered with their color. The red side is empty now, the only hint of its existence being some paint on a wall. Soon, the blue side would be empty as well. Then the green, where the items would either be tucked away or tossed in the garbage. After that, there would be no sign anyone lived there at all.

“You coming?” Abner called, “cause I can leave your ass here if you want.”

Glancing at the room one last time, Fethry nodded, “let’s go.”


	2. The Calm Before The Storm!

The drive is awkward.

Fethry blames this on a lot of factors, from the music being off (Huey  _ was  _ still sleeping) to the fact that it was early and the drive was long (two hours). Mostly though, Fethry blames it on his brother’s mounting anger causing a horrible tension to fill the small space.

It was light out now, so Fethry could see the way Abner grit his teeth and the way his knuckles turned white around the steering wheel. Usually Fethry would just avoid his brother until he calmed down, but that wasn’t an option in a cramped pickup truck driving sixty miles an hour.

Since there wasn’t any room in the truck for the car seat, Huey was slumbering in Fethry’s arms. The boy seemed fine enough, tiny fingers tangled in his red curls loosely and a tiny frown on his chubby face. Fethry had a feeling he missed his siblings.

“Fethry,” Abner said flatly (not angrily, to Fethry’s surprise), “do you have  _ any  _ idea what you just got yourself into?”

“I’m not an idiot Abner,” he replied, “I know a baby is a lot of work. I  _ couldn’t  _ say no though, not to Della.”

“She basically asked you to be a  _ Father  _ Fethry!” Abner exclaimed, “it’s not like she asked you to babysit, it’s  _ permanent.  _ You don’t even have a  _ job  _ yet!”

“Gladstone doesn’t have a job,” Fethry pointed out, “and I don’t think Donald’s worked since he got out of the Navy.”

“Being in the military means Donald has  _ experience,  _ getting a job should be easier for him,” Abner said, “and Gladstone doesn’t  _ have  _ to work, he’s  _ rich.” _

“They don’t have family though,” Fethry muttered, “at least I won’t be raising the kid by myself.”

Abner glanced at him then, blue eyes a mix of concern and rage. It was a look Fethry had received many times over his life, from almost everyone. He was frustrating, and weird, and a little out of the loop. Even the people who cared about him got sick of it all eventually.

Huey would too.

“The kid isn’t  _ our  _ responsibility,” Abner growled, “and Mom might help you, but don’t go shoving all your respon-“

“I know  _ that,”  _ he snipped, “I’m going to do most of the stuff myself. I’m just saying, I have someone to lean on when things get rough. Gladstone and Donald are  _ alone.” _

“What about Scrooge?”

“Donald cut him out,” Fethry muttered, looking out the window as trees blurred past, “said it was his fault Della died. I’m not supposed to let Huey see him either.”

No one says anything for a while, just letting the silence fall over the truck. They were almost home now, maybe twenty minutes away, and Fethry was  _ not  _ excited for the inevitable lecture. His Mom would probably just be excited (she always liked children), but his Dad was a whole different story.

“Dad’s going to kill me isn’t he?”

Abner sighed, and Fethry could see the tension drain out of him, “I’ll handle him Feth, you just better ace your midterms.”

“I will.”

There’s no thank you (it’s not something their family says very often), and Abner doesn’t seem to expect one. He just keeps driving, running a hand through his hair every few minutes like he  _ always  _ does when he’s thinking.

Fethry decides to take a nap.

-

“We’re here.”

Fethry opens his eyes, blinking away the blurry feeling that comes with waking up before looking out the windshield. Abner had already gotten out, walking to the front door while swinging a pair of keys around his finger.

The house isn’t very large, not like the other farm houses anyway. It only had two floors, with a white exterior and a dark, black roof. The front porch was made of a dark mahogany, a creaky porch swing chained to the top of the deck. Fethry wondered if Huey would play on it the same way Abner and him did when they were younger.

Thinking of Huey, the kid was awake.

It seemed like he had just woken up, dark green eyes ( _ just  _ like Della’s) looking around him curiously. He was quiet, silent really, and while Fethry was thankful he wondered if he should be concerned. Babies were usually pretty loud right?

Sighing, Fethry struggled to open the door with one arm before hurrying to catch up to Abner. His stomach was plummeting the closer he got to the house, and Fethry had to admit he was  _ terrified.  _ Elder could very well murder him for bringing a random kid into  _ his  _ house, the reason be damned.

“I already texted Mom,” Abner muttered, “she promised to handle Dad.”

“You know what he thinks about me Abner,” Fethry mumbled, “he’s going to  _ hate  _ me.”

The  _ ‘if he doesn’t already’  _ goes unspoken.

Fethry hadn’t missed the glares when he was younger, the irritation or disdain. Abner had always been their father’s favorite, and Fethry had been nothing but dirt on the old man’s shoe. He figured it was because he was  _ just  _ like his Mom, and apparently Elder could only handle one loon at a time.

“He’s not going to  _ hate  _ you,” his brother said, “Mom wouldn’t let him.”

“We’ll see,” Fethry muttered, bitterness lacing his voice.

Reaching the front door in all its white glory, Abner pulled out his keys. Fethry knew his hands were shaking as the door knob turned, but Huey didn’t make any complaints about the motion. It occurred to him that he didn’t have any formula, or baby food, or diapers. That he didn’t have any  _ proof  _ that he was prepared. 

Elder was going to  _ murder  _ him.


End file.
